It's No Joke: Bay Bridge Westbound Right Lane Reopens To Traffic

MARYLAND — It's no April Fool's joke: the Chesapeake Bay Bridge's westbound right lane officially opened to traffic April 1 after construction efforts were ramped up in order to have the project completed sooner than originally estimated.

Gov. Larry Hogan ordered everyone to expedite construction on the bridge that was scheduled to take up to two years and reopen the right lane of the westbound Bay Bridge as soon as possible. According to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), all new concrete has been poured and cured, work zone barriers have been removed, restriping is finished and the lane reopened to all traffic this morning.

“Maryland is facing significant challenges these days, and of course our primary focus is on the health and safety of our citizens amid the ongoing COVID-19 threat,” said Hogan in a statement. “But it’s important to celebrate the reopening of the westbound right lane of the Bay Bridge, because for me it represents the spirit, dedication and work ethic that will see our state through any crisis."

The bridge reconstruction project ended up taking slightly more than seven months, "record time," Hogan stated. In September 2019, the westbound right lane of the Bay Bridge was closed. The bridge deck in this lane had reached the end of its service life and was severely deteriorated, presenting a safety risk. In one section, 75 percent of the lane was patched and deteriorated. Delaying this work would have resulted in a lengthier, costlier and more extensive project, Hogan said.

While the right lane has reopened, some remaining work will occur on the westbound span center and left lanes during overnight/off-peak hours, including deck sealing, steel railing replacement and deck/joint repairs and replacements. Minimal traffic delays are expected. Motorists should expect some periods when steel plates will be placed in the center and left lanes.

Remaining work also includes replacing overhead signal gantries on the westbound span. Outages of individual signal gantries will be required during replacements. Drivers should continue to obey all signing and active signal gantries.

The MDTA also is leveraging the currently reduced traffic volumes to expedite installation of an automated gate system along westbound US 50 on the Eastern Shore that will allow maintenance crews to implement and discontinue two-way traffic operations at the bridge more safely and quickly. Drivers should expect single-lane closures on or approaching the Bay Bridge during daytime, off-peak hours as needed for this work, other ongoing projects, regular maintenance and facility inspections.

The MDTA also remains on schedule to begin all-electronic tolling at the Bay Bridge by summer 2020, said MDTA Executive Director James F. Ports, Jr.

“We are nearly 70 percent complete in reaching this goal," said Ports, Jr.

Crews have installed a new overhead tolling gantry across eastbound US 50 on the Eastern Shore between the bridge and MD 8. Work is underway to install and test the tolling system components.
Once all-electronic tolling is in place, cash will not be accepted as payment at the time of travel. Drivers won’t have to stop to pay tolls, as the overhead gantry will collect tolls electronically by E-ZPass® or Video Tolling.

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